.....I'm always a bit wary of youth coaches stepping up as 1st team managers. Colin Harvey won a youth cup and was instrumental in the development of players who served us so well (Graham Sharp et al) but he couldn't make the step up. It might be a little different now that we have a DoF but expertise in the transfer market is such a key competency but one that is an unknown for Unsworth.
A good point matey. There seems to have been a good debate on this and rather than reply to each comment I will try to cover it more broadly here.
There is definitely a lazy assumption people can make the step up. Harvey struggled here and Gabriel was a disaster for a short period. Having said that Stubbs has gone into management and done quite well. I maintain had Stubbs, working with Weir, Neville/Round etc with Unsworth below him been in charge I don't think we'd have ended up in the mess we did last season, albeit we may not have conquered the heights of the first season.
The people who mention Giggs are also right about this. However Giggs doesn't strike me as having a fraction of the abilities Unsworth has re management. He seems quite charmless, entitled and his behaviour towards the latter days of Moyes was borderline treacherous. United presently also expect the managers mandate to go far wider than the role would be for Unsworth if it was done right.
Unsworth has been given significant experience of coaching and managing a team, albeit an under 21's team and has also done a caretakers job elsewhere. The way he conducts himself is very different to Giggs who I think is relying on a name. I would liken it a bit more to big Dunc. I think Duncan has done far more than Giggs but ultimately lacks a lot of the key attributes I see in Unsworth.
The best example I can give where it works has been Guardiola. It also worked very well at Ajax with De Boer and now Cocu at PSV stepping up from the younger sides. I think at clubs where there is a clear philosophy bedded in with managers who understand the club it works well. For Harvey he fulfilled many of those things though off the field I think Everton were in a difficult place and lacked the support we now have.
It will all depend on how the managers role goes and how we do off the field too. If Walsh can come in and have a similar impact to what he had at Leicester. If we can get guys like David Dein in to help with transfers on the board and commercial revenues grow. If Royle is still willing to play a fairly hands on role going into his late 60's I can see Unsworth thriving. There are all big ifs above but they still have the potential of happening.
If Unsworth is given a role where development and coaching are central and support is given to him in terms of recruitment and bringing players through I think he will excel in the role. I have seen first hand how players have developed under his stewardship, but more importantly developed in a way that helps them be ready to play in the first team and win games. More than just technical skill but the mental side of things.
If he was thrown in the deep end, like anyone he would struggle but I do think if we get things right off the pitch he will be a very strong contender. A lot will depend on how we see the managers role going forward. How far the DOF role will develop etc.
